Chevelle’s racking up the miles

*Story by Julie Chang
Chevelle has keyed a number of anthems triumphing the underdog over the last decade, dedicating their latest album to just that.

Their melodic and lyrical delivery started resonating with listeners back in 1999 with their first album Point #1 and vastly popular Wonder What’s Next in 2002. That album contained the song “The Red,” skyrocketing the band to major rock charts and kings of alternative rock.

Illinois brothers Peter, Sam and Joe Loeffler formed the band in 1995, although they had been playing together since they were kids.

Joe left in 2005 , but both remaining brothers continued to keep the band in the family with the eventual additon of their brother-in-law Dean Bernardini on bass.

“It works really well,” drummer Sam Loeffler said of the family-oriented band. “We’re adults and professional. You treat it like it’s your job. That tends to help. I think we’re more friends.”

The Chicago band’s sixth album Hats off to the Bull doesn’t stray too much from the hard guitar riffs and the gritty lyrics that has made Chevelle a standard for angst rock.

They will bring a bit of the new stuff and an impressionable amount of their old to Ford Park on Tuesday, April 17.

Q How would you compare your latest album Hats off to the Bull to some of Chevelle’s previous work?
A I don’t know if we have changed that much. Hard rock or rock music — that’s what we write and that’s what inspires us. It’s similar in production styles to our last record because we don’t use a lot of tricks. We don’t use autotune, which makes rock bands these days sound the same. We record until it sounds right. Hopefully, if there’s a difference in sound, it’s just that people are pointing out that it sounds like us.

Q How did the album name come about? A Hats off to the Bull refers to rooting for the underdog. The actual song “Hats off to the Bull” is actually about animal cruelty.

Q You guys are used to writing about underdogs? A Rock music is not always about the happiest of subjects. If you’re not singing about love or falling in love, then it is something about moving or changing someone’s lives.

Q What is the song writing process like? A People bring a riff or a couple of lyrics to us and then we’ll write a song from there. Pete

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writes the riffs and the actual guitar parts around a melody. That’s how we’re designed.

Q An acoustic song “Prima Donna” is in your latest album. Would you ever consider doing an acoustic show? A Pete’s always written on acoustics. He’s always had songs that he wrote on acoustic from playing on the back of the bus or whatever. At one point, our label Epic was interested in us doing a full acoustic records, but that’s not what really inspires us. But those songs are really what creeps its way onto the records. We have a bunch of them at this point.

Pete said sometimes that the mark of a good song is that it could be translated to many different instruments whether on piano or acoustic guitar or full band. It just shows that the melody is pretty valid and good.

Q Do any of you own a Chevy Chevelle? A We did this promotion with Monster Energy Drink which our tours have been sponsored by them. We actually bought a race car that was a Chevelle and they got involved in it and they helped us find it and buy it.

It’s a race car. We still drive it on the street but it’s not a regular car. It has a gigantic engine and horsepower and it was built for autocross. It’s just really short track racing. You can still drive it on the street but it gets four miles per gallon and it’s super loud. You have to wear earplugs in it.

We’re actually thinking about taking it on the road with us.

Q Family has a been a big part of the band. Can that be a double-edged sword? A Yeah, it can. I suppose if anyone has family they understand how with family, things can go very wrong. We have been doing it for a long time. Our first record came out in 1999 and Pete and I have played music ever since we were kids. Our brother-in-law Dean has been with us for over seven years.

Q At your shows, you don’t play new songs until a few songs into the act. Why? A New records take a long time to sink in. Just because a new record comes out it doesn’t mean people have bought it. I know when I go to a show, I know there are songs I want to hear. We’re playing 20 songs a night, and out of those 20 songs, we’re playing probably four or five new ones. You want to give people what they want, but you want to play new stuff which is fun for us. We do a mix.

Q You guys were once considered a Christian band, which also gave you guys some grief. When was the last time Chevelle incorporated faith in their music? A We try to keep politics and religion out of our shows and platforms because we’re trying to give people a release. It’s easy to say that our faith comes into our music every day.
There are songs that are specifically about that and there are songs that are not. Pete won’t tell anybody what’s what because he thinks people should figure it out themselves.

Q Your music clearly resonates with your fans. What band for you has given you that same influence? A For example, BadMotorFinger by Soundgarden. It was a really important record for me not only as a drummer, but as a musician in the song writing style. As a kid, I remember being really upset at school or whatever and I would put it in and that would make you feel better for whatever reason.